Philips LED headlights

[powderfinger]

I know the headlight topic has been beaten to death on this forum but I was curious if anyone has tried the Philips LED direct replacements? Link below is to the low beam and high beam version. These are very expensive at $85 each which happens to be way cheaper than you can get them anywhere else. It would be really hard to justify paying so much for them but, if they are significantly better and last a long time someone might. The reviews I have read at other sites said they were very bright compared to the factory lights on various vehicles they were installed on.

 

I also read a few people got bad ones but those were all off Amazon so who knows, they could have been sent used ones lol.

 

If they were not so expensive I would try them since they are DOT compliant unlike most LED replacement headlights that blind everyone else.

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=11677181&cc=1210352&pt=11701&jsn=847

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=11677177&cc=1210352&pt=11701&jsn=846&jsn=846

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Well, those are brand name at least.

[Crashtd420]

What I think is better about those are they give you the full assembly,  not just a replacement bulb to put inside a housing it wasn't ment for.... 

Says 8 year warranty, so that's not bad....

[bottomwatcher]

With the assembly is much better than mismatched bulbs. If you are going to buy them research who is an approved vendor. May be more expensive but that is because they are real. Expect counterfeits on ebay and Amazon and you won't be disappointed.

[powderfinger]

The best price is on Rock Auto. Not sure if they are an approved vendor or not but I have always had good luck getting the brand I ordered with RockAuto. There are some items that when ordered you could receive any brand but that is usually called out in the description.

 

They certainly carry some low end stuff along with some pretty good stuff but one thing I can certainly say about Rock Auto is anytime I have had an issue with an item that wasn't my fault they have let me return it. Has nothing to do with possibly getting a counterfeit though.

[DwayneOxford]

Too many deer here to buy them.

[720_Jeff]

In general, really dislike the appearance of LED headlights.  Nearly all options, look so out of place on 720's, ok actually they still look crappy on basically any vehicle.

 

I was seriously thinking about the Philips bulbs.  They don't exactly 'fit' our era, but do look pretty decent.  I do like the claimed light output!

Definitely don't like driving around town with the stock units, they just never seem bright enough, especially when compared to a newer vehicle.

 

Here's some pics from someone who has installed these

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by 720_Jeff

[datzenmike]

Being able to see at night is everything.  No one can see you at night.

[720_Jeff]

38 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

Being able to see at night is everything.  No one can see you at night.

For sure!  Not old, but getting older.  Night vision isn't what it used to be, so yeah I enjoy a brighter road.  It's still a serious consideration.

 

[bottomwatcher]

9 hours ago, DwayneOxford said:

Too many deer here to buy them.

Funny thing is the LEDs light up animals eyes much brighter and much further away than regular lights. Also reflective street signs do the same thing. On a side note I live in the Maine woods in the summer and use a LED headlamp to dump my food scraps at the edge of the woods at night. The spider eyes light up like diamonds in the grass and the furry night shift stares back with an eery glow if I sweep the woods. Skunks are the shortest then porcupine, raccoon, neighbors cat, then deer. I haven't seen a bear at night but I think if I did I would do the drop the food and run plan.

[powderfinger]

Wow, that is a crazy difference. That is seriously making me consider these now. There are lots of deer around my house as well which is one of the reasons I want better headlights. Need to be able to see them from farther away. Although, typically when you hit a deer it isn't the ones casually standing on the side of the road. It's the ones running at full sprint that come out of nowhere. Unfortunately, I speak from plenty of experience lol.

Edited March 8, 2023 by powderfinger

[EDM620]

My understanding is the majority of LED bulbs typically don't have the LED chip in the same relative position as the filament in the regular bulb, so the light output doesn't hit the reflector correctly resulting in incorrect light management. 

 

I'd like to think that Philips has designed these to manage the light output to match the reflector of the housing they use, then the fluting of the lens directs the light output properly. Low beam cutoff is managed that way, plus the right side is normally designed to provide lighting to pick up street signs.

[datzenmike]

Exactly! The filament sits in a specific, vary small position. In comparison LEDs are much larger. For lamps with replaceable bulbs the LED is never going to be in the exact focal point either by very poor design (China Amazon) or just the physical shape. If the reflector is designed around the LED bulb this can be mitigated some. But still, the light even focused is simply several times brighter to oncoming traffic. The only cure is a reflector and lens with the cut off 'fence' for low beams. This is what car makers use for HID and LED.

[powderfinger]

If you look at the zoomed in pic of the light itself that 720_Jeff posted it looks like there is a cut-off fence on these.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

1 hour ago, EDM620 said:

My understanding is the majority of LED bulbs typically don't have the LED chip in the same relative position as the filament in the regular bulb, so the light output doesn't hit the reflector correctly resulting in incorrect light management. 

 

I'd like to think that Philips has designed these to manage the light output to match the reflector of the housing they use, then the fluting of the lens directs the light output properly. Low beam cutoff is managed that way, plus the right side is normally designed to provide lighting to pick up street signs.

Like you said, I would assume that a name brand like Phillips would address all these issues.

[thisismatt]

Looks good to me, but nighttime pictures are always deceiving due to camera exposure...unless pictures are taken manually with equal exposure.

 

Lifespan/durability of LED light packages are also suspect. Yes, LEDs have very long expected lifetimes, but they're so often packaged with the crappiest drive electronics the reality is often much shorter

[powderfinger]

Here is a pretty good YouTube video comparing different 4x6 LED headlight replacements. If you are interested in only the Phillips fast forward to around the 10 minute mark. Ignore the end of the video where he shows what he considers the only 3 worth buying. Those just happen to be the 3 brands he sells on his website and are also way more expensive than the Phillips.

 

I guess I at least have to give him props for even including the Phillips in his test since he doesn't sell it, it's way cheaper than what he does sell, and it works as well as anything he sells. He even has really good things to say about it during his testing, (this is the low beam version of it which performs just as good as the low beam of the $300 versions this dude sells lol) The dishonest part is at the end when he doesn't even mention it when it seems clear to me that it is the best option, especially when price is considered.

 

One other thing not mentioned in this video is the Phillips simply looks better because it uses a simple reflector design. Looks much closer to the stock headlight look. The others, in my opinion, are just plain ugly and would look ridiculous on something like a 720.

 

 

[datzenmike]

I looked at LED but the technology (truth) wasn't advanced enough for my liking. Amazon offerings were nothing but cheap crap fighting all the others in a lumens war. The output claims are ridiculous just like all the flashlights. Generally you want to spend over $300 each  for the (maybe) better ones.

 

I went to Xenon HID projector on all four lamps. Only the low beam outers have the cut off gate, for oncoming traffic,  and all four are on for high beams.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

You nailed the one reason I don't like LEDs - Looks. I think old cars and trucks should have old looking headlights, or at least something period correct. There are plenty of round performance headlights and a few rectangular lights that look great and are just as bright as LEDs.

[banzai510(hainz)]

I seen these guys But dont know if anygood  depends on depth on certain vehicles if fit. Example  Im sure 510 will fit as its open in back. 521 might be harder as its in a bucket

 

https://www.deltalights.com/headlights-5-3-4-inch-round-headlights-high-low-beam-3-prong/c762

[720_Jeff]

10 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

You nailed the one reason I don't like LEDs - Looks. I think old cars and trucks should have old looking headlights, or at least something period correct. There are plenty of round performance headlights and a few rectangular lights that look great and are just as bright as LEDs.

That's what I was trying to say, period correct 🙂

 

Maybe, more than period correct, want something that looks like one of the vehicle manufacturers would actually use on a production vehicle.  My eyes should never be drawn to the headlights.  

Something like this, is just the most awful example.  No way could you walk past a vehicle with these installed and not notice.  The Philips come pretty close.

 

Drawback of the Philips, is the $400 it would cost to replace all four lights up front. 

[datzenmike]

I detest those. No beam cut off and light just sprays out like a fire hose. You know years ago the police would pull you over for today's bullshit lighting. If you had 'fog lights' which were mostly illegal, if they were wired up they had to have covers on them. For the most part people respected everyone else. Today no one gives a shit about oncoming traffic and blaze away down the highway.

[720_Jeff]

2 hours ago, datzenmike said:

I detest those. No beam cut off and light just sprays out like a fire hose. You know years ago the police would pull you over for today's bullshit lighting. If you had 'fog lights' which were mostly illegal, if they were wired up they had to have covers on them. For the most part people respected everyone else. Today no one gives a shit about oncoming traffic and blaze away down the highway.

Yep, Police would definitely pull people over.  Hell, there used to be 'Official Lamp Adjustment Stations' across the state.  Seemed like, nearly every gas station that had service bays, had the giant sign indicating they were official lamp and brake station.

Sacramento Daily Union 19 March 1922 — California Digital Newspaper Collection (ucr.edu)

 

Fast forward to today.  I see an increasing number of people driving with their high beams on, full time 😞  Combine that with the insane amount of light some of these vehices generate, misaligned lights lifted vehicles and more, it can make driving at night challenging.

 

[powderfinger]

On top of all the terrible LEDs out there, here in the Carolinas we have to deal with idiots doing this to their trucks without adjusting their headlights.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Audi is going through a lawsuit because their lights are too bright. Brighter than is allowed, and yes, that pisses me off.

 

Those lights pictured above look like an egg carton. And again, you brought up another perfect point, your eyes should never be drawn to one glaringly obvious thing on a vehicle. Like @Crashtd420's rear smoke stacks... 🤣